My Movie Alphabet: Pt. I

Hey there, readers! Hope you’re having a fantastic weekend! I sure am, what with participating in this awesome blogathon and all.

My Movie Alphabet was started by Mettel Ray and, no offense to anybody out there, it’s the coolest blogathon I’ve seen so far. I knew I had to participate so here it is, part one of My Movie Alphabet. I broke the alphabet in three parts as to not bore you with a very long post. Expect parts II and III later in the week.

*Note: there’s a The Help spoiler coming up, so if you haven’t seen that film, skip letter E.

#: (500) Days of Summer

The best movie of 2009, an inventive anti-love story with a nonlinear narrative, great visuals and even a quirky musical sequence set to Hall & Oates’s “You Make my Dreams”. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was great in this film, one that also introduced us to the talents of young actress Chloë Grace Moretz and visionary director Marc Webb (The Amazing Spider-Man).

Other favorites: 300, 12 Monkeys, 12 Angry Men, 127 Hours

A: Alejandro González Iñárritu

My favorite Mexican director. He’s a very polarizing figure but, if you ask me, he’s a national treasure. I had the honor of meeting him and I was thrilled. Alejandro is responsible for Amores Perros, 21 Grams and Babel. People said he wasn’t the talented one, writer Guillermo Arriaga was. But after their very public split, González made his masterpiece and the best film of 2010, Biutiful, proving the haters wrong.

B: The Big Lebowski

All of it is insanely quotable; probably the Coens’s bestscript. Hilarious lines, great music and career-best performances from Jeff Bridges and John Goodman make this one of the funniest movies ever. But that’s, like, my opinion, man.

C: Christopher Nolan

There is no one else like him. His movies are an irresistible blend of blockbuster action and art-house heady fare. His short filmography is chock-full of gems, like The Prestige, Inception, Memento and, of course, The Dark Knight. A smart director with a great sense of style.

D: David Fincher

Runner-up: Daniel Day-Lewis

Along with Christopher Nolan and Pedro Almodóvar, Fincher constitutes the Holy Trinity of directors (at least in my book). I wait with bated breath for each and every one of his releases and he never disappoints. Fincher started directing music videos and has since gone on to helm Fight Club, Se7en, Zodiac, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Social Network and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. If that’s not an impressive resumé, I don’t know what is.

E: Eat my shit!

One of the best scenes in the last ten years and a great moment of sweet revenge for Minnie (Octavia Spencer). Hilly’s (Bryce Dallas Howard) disgusted face is epic. You know what they say: “make a pie out of feces, win an Oscar!” They say that, right?

F: Fight Club

Second Fincher entry in the list so far; this was a huge deal for me as a teenager. Great story and dialog from the mind of Chuck Pahlaniuk, a striking look and an even better cast make Fight Club one of the best movies I’ve seen until now and it will likely remain amongst my favorites until the end of time.

G: The Godfather

Absolute perfection. Moving on…

Other favorites: Gosford Park, George Clooney, Gary Oldman, Gone Baby Gone, Gangs of New York

H: Harry Potter

If I’m a dork for being head-over-heels in love with J.K. Rowling’s saga, then so be it. The books are amazing and the movies expand on that wonderful universe with excellent art direction, sets, music and a very talented and ever-growing set of actors. Thank you, Great Britain.

# – I enjoyed (500) Days of Summer, but I still think it’s slightly overrated. Haven’t seen the other three you mention, but they’ve all been on my list for quite some time.
A – Didn’t know Amores Perros was by Iñárritu! Learn something new every day haha. Babel is in my Netflix queue, and I believe Biutiful is too. Of course, I’m also a fan of two of your other favorites: Al Pacino and Alfred Hitchcock.
B – Obviously you’re not a golfer. 😉 The Folger’s scene at the end STILL has me laughing. I’ve been meaning to see Borat and Black Swan, as well as Bridesmaids. Glad you’re not one of those folks who hate Big Fish. One of Tim Burton’s best IMHO.
C – Christopher Nolan is great. No question there. Shout outs to Chicago and the Coens are well deserved, indeed.
D – David Fincher (from what I’ve seen) is fantastic. I’ve been meaning to get around to Zodiac since about June, but it’s so long!! Daniel Day-Lewis is a flawless actor. I need to see more of him, especially after Lincoln. And it’s hard not to love Drag Me to Hell or TDK.
E – Yeah, it’s a great scene, but one of the best in the last decade? I beg to differ. Sorry.
F – Gotta love Fight Club. And Fargo / Frances McDormand. Wait, you put Fight Club over Fargo? The heck do ya mean? 😉 Thanks for reminding me of Fantasia, as well. I NEED to revisit it.
G – The Godfather IS absolute perfection!
H – Save for parts five and six, I do indeed love the HP saga.

Great list so far, although I had to skip past E. I have had the DVD sitting there on my shelf for ages and yet still haven’t got around to watching it.
I’m looking forward to reading your next posts. I still have five letters to go on my alphabet before I post, I’ve been spending far too long on this!! 😀

Nice to see Nolan on here, Fernando! Btw, I don’t think I’ll be bored seeing all the alphabets in one post though, it’s interesting to see who/what people pick for each letter. Hope you check out mine 🙂

Nice start to the list, Fernando. A few things I’m unfamiliar with, but I can certainly get behind the ones I know. Christopher Nolan’s a great choice; I have only a few of his films I haven’t seen, and so far they’ve all been A material.